Small metallic platinum particles are used in a wide range of catalytic applications including fuel cell anodes and cathodes, automotive catalysis, hydrocarbon reforming, and carbon monoxide cleanup via the water-gas shift reaction. Surface studies have shown that the rates at which such catalyzed reactions proceed are affected by the specific morphology of the platinum particles. Conventional platinum deposition methods provide no opportunity for variation in platinum particle morphology and typically yield only generally spherical particles with smooth (if porous) surfaces. Small spherical platinum particles can provide a large surface area per gram of particles, but there remains a need for a general method of making small platinum particles of differing morphologies, especially with different surface characteristics, so that a preferred particle shape may be made for a specific catalyst application.